The Organist
by unannehmlichkeiten
Summary: Shinji decides to visit a Catholic church, and is taken in by the organ music. But, when he tries to take a private lesson with the organist after hours, something amazing happens. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

Shinji looked about in wonder at the beauty surrounding him; High-vaulted white ceilings above, gleaming white marble floor below, stained-glass windows with blue overtones to either side, and a myriad of organ pipes behind him. There was no doubt about it; Shinji Ikari was in church. But not church as you may know it, for Shinji's motivation to attend had changed. Most people attend church because of a moral obligation, but Shinji did it out of love. Not a love for God, though Shinji was not averse to anything he heard during mass; he found a different love in that echoing chamber.

It started one Sunday in March. It was Shinji's first experience with religion, and Ritsuko had turned him on to the idea. Her analytical voice rang through his ears as he passed through the vestibule.

"Shinji, are you still looking for something to do on the weekends?"

"Um, yes. Why?"

"You should try this Catholic church downtown."

Shinji said the word to himself. "Catholic…" It seemed an odd word, but intriguing.

"I had occasion to go there a few weeks ago, and it was very interesting."

"What do they do?"

"They have someone read from the Bible, which I found nice. Then there is a speech about the readings by the priest."

"I think I'll give it a try. Thanks, Ritsuko."

"'Bye."

He walked with the current of people slowly filing in, and watched them dip their fingers into a small dish filled with water, then wet their forehead, chest, and shoulders with the water. 'How odd,' Shinji thought as he walked by, opting out of the odd rite. He entered the main chamber of the church, and was awestruck. Nowhere else in Tokyo 3 could someone find such pure, bright, shining brilliance. Everything reflected the light streaming in through ornate stained glass windows, and between every pair of windows stood a statue. Shinji stood there gazing, then finally came to his senses and took a seat.

As he sat, he checked his watch, and noticed that the mass was not to start for another ten minutes. He sat back and relaxed, and slowly perceived a low note easing through the air. He looked behind him, where the sound had emanated from, and beheld a cascade of brass-lacquered organ pipes. The one low tone wavered, as though tuning to the right pitch. He looked around; organ pipes had to lead to an organ somewhere. Over to his right, on the other side of the chamber, a large box-like organ stood on a small dais. There was someone behind the organ, but Shinji could not see him.

He sat back in the pew, trying to find a comfortable position to wait in, when the one low organ note multiplied. It took on new tones above and below it to form a rich chord, which moved through a classical chord progression. The organist was now warmed up. Shinji saw parishioners settle back in their pews to listen to the organist's work before the mass began. Shinji did the same, and was thrilled to hear the dulcet tones. Unlike the others who sat back, some eyes closed dreamily, Shinji looked over to the organ eagerly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person responsible. An elderly woman leaned over to Shinji.

"You must be new here, son."

"Oh. Um, yes, I am."

"Well, don't bother going anywhere else, we've got the best organist in the prefecture. Such a joy to listen to, don't you agree?"

"Yes. It's…nice. What is that piece, though?"

"That's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.' It's an old Bach piece. Sounds so nice like that."

"It does."

Hearing that piece made up Shinji's mind. If for nothing but the wonderful organ music, he would become a Catholic. He picked up some books on the subject, and was fascinated by all the rituals and rites. Most of his time at home was spent reading, but he finally came forward and asked Misato about it.

"Misato, are you Catholic?"

"What? No! Don't be silly. What put that in your head?"

"You're wearing a cross. That's a pretty sure sign. Well, that and all the guilt."

"Shinji, I don't believe in that sort of thing. This is just something my father gave me."

"Was he-"

"Yes," she answered through gritted teeth.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"I just can't be like him; that's why I can't believe in those things."

"Well, that's alright, Misato. I'm mostly in it for the organ music anyway."

"…Isn't it time for you to leave, Shinji?"

"Oh, you're right! I'll see you later, ok?"

'So what if Misato had cringed at the mention of Catholicism? She didn't know about all the music,' Shinji thought on the train to the church. He was going back for the fifth time, and had heard a nice cross-section of the organist's repertoire so far. That day, sitting in the pew before the mass started, He heard such a rubato, such a push and pull of tempo, that he was nearly driven to tears. Not a difficult feat for Shinji, to be sure, but music had never done this to him before. Sitting in that mostly empty, cavernous chamber let the music echo off everything and flow through him powerfully. That morning, as Shinji feigned attention to the homily, he resolved to finally meet the organist that had so inspired him.

Once the mass was complete, the congregation began to file out; only the devout few remained in the main sanctuary to pray. Shinji waited for the organist to finish the recessional hymn, and approached cautiously. However, as he was about to round the side of the dais and behold his idol, the organ came back to life for one last tune. It was 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' again, but with such expression as Shinji had never heard. He slowly edged around the organ's large bulk to meet with a shocking sight: Sitting on the bench seat was not the older gentleman he had envisioned, but Ayanami Rei!

Her head bobbed and swayed ever so slightly with expression as she seemed to float across the keys and pedals. Her fingers seemed not to push each key as much as gently stroke it into falling, and the keys graciously accepted. Shinji could see from this angle that, though she played with the prowess and free license of one who knew the music by heart, her deep red eyes were firmly locked on the sheet music. Shinji quietly stepped up a foot onto the dais, and moved behind Rei, who took no obvious notice. He simply watched as she played, hoping (as was probably Bach's intention,) that this song she played would go on and on forever.

Rei looked up after a few minutes, somewhat surprised to see that all the parishioners had departed. She finished with a quiet chord, and disengaged herself from the instrument. She gathered the sheet music with a rustle, and stood to leave. As she turned around, she was taken aback to see Shinji standing there, smiling meekly.

"Hello."

"Hi, Ayanami. I…didn't know you played."

"I could say the same of you."

"Huh? But- but I just play the cello. It's nothing like what you're doing up here."

"The organ? Thank you."

"You're really amazing, Rei." Rei could not seem to respond to the compliment; she merely looked down, seemingly embarrassed.

"So, how long have you been playing the organ, Rei?"

"Since I was nine years old, though I had always wanted to play the organ, ever since I first heard it as a very small child."

"I would love to learn to play as well. It's…beautiful."

"It's difficult, unless you've had some keyboard experience."

"I've been playing piano for a few years now… Do you think you could teach me, Rei?"

"Me?"

"Yeah! Could we maybe get together later?

"In the church?"

"I guess so."

"I don't think a church is the best place for a date."

"A d- a date!? No! I just wanted the two of us to meet later…"

"I see. I suppose we could meet here tonight. The church will be empty, but the organ will be on."

"Great!"

"Meet me outside the church at 2100."

"Ok, I'll see you then." He turned and left, walking quickly out of the church into the full sunshine outside, smiling to himself about his good fortune.

'A date? With Rei? Maybe not, but even so, it's a great opportunity! I can get to know her better, and learn to play the organ at the same time. This is going to be great!"


	2. Chapter 2

_A familiar, persistent beeping buzzed through Shinji's consciousness. He opened his eyes, and rolled over to his right side, and hit the alarm clock until it was finally silenced. The thin walls of the apartment betrayed to Shinji's ears the driving rain outside. An afternoon thunderstorm was not uncommon, but this was a new and foreign rain. As Shinji lay awake in bed thinking, no thunder clapped; the rain drove on into endlessness._

_A quick shower reinvigorated Shinji's senses, and he was dressed and out the door in a few minutes, donning a coat on the way out. Outside, the rain had brought a surprisingly cold wind from the north, which sought to bite at Shinji's frame as the latter rushed through the rain to the train station. The water pounded at the train window as Shinji pressed his head against it, standing in the nearly empty car. He watched the skyline whiz by, saw the last of the sun's light give in to the storm and the coming night. The city looked very pessimistic, but Shinji kept his spirits up, thinking about his upcoming rendezvous. Sure, it would not be the meeting under the stars he had envisioned that morning, but it would still be worth it; Rei would be there._

_Though it did little good in the pouring rain, Shinji turned up the collar of his coat. It was a few more blocks to the church, and he was trying to make the best of it. He tried to picture something to take his mind off his soaking state._

'_Lets see… What about Rei?' An image of Rei playing the organ crossed his mind's eye. 'Yeah! But, something's missing. She should be outside.' His imaginary Rei was teleported to a fanciful forest glen, sunlight streaming in through breaks in the tall trees. 'Almost… Still, what's missing? Got it! She should be smiling!' The imaginary Rei laid back in the flower-spotted sward, and a smile came upon her lips. Just a slight one, but enough to stir some deep longing in Shinji's heart. 'Yeah. That's it. Awesome.'_

_As Shinji emerged from his daydream, he found himself across an empty street from the church plaza. Night was fully upon the place, and the rain drove on. Small puddles on the moist pavement reflected light from lampposts set along the church's front steps; the only other light visible was a faint golden glow from within the church proper. As Shinji crossed the street and approached the steps, he noticed something unnerving. Rei stood alone and still on the steps, a plain black umbrella held high over her head providing some protection from the rain. She looked over as Shinji approached, and Shinji thought he saw the slightest glimmer of relief in her eyes._

_Climbing the steps to meet Rei, Shinji saw that Rei's clothes, a button-down shirt and dress pants covered by a long tan trench coat, were completely soaked._

"_Ayanami, … how long have you been out here?"_

"_An hour now."_

"_But you're soaked! I could've met you inside the church."_

"_I said to meet me outside. I have kept my word."_

"_You're really something, Ayanami."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I can't think of anyone else that's __that_ devoted to their word."

"Thank you, Ikari."

"Please, you can call me Shinji, alright?"

"Very well, … Shinji."

"Let's head inside, ok?"

"Right."

The vestibule was silent and rather dark, the only light being the same golden glow Shinji had seen from outside. The only sound to be heard was the patter of the rain outside and the slow drip of the couple's clothes. Shinji took off his coat, and hung it on a nearby rack, then looked over to Rei. She stood stationary for a moment, eyes downcast, then hung up her umbrella and coat. Without the cover of her coat, Shinji could fully see the soaked state of her clothes. Her white shirt, presumably from her school uniform, was nearly transparent with moisture, and Shinji averted his eyes; it wouldn't be a good idea to think those dirty thoughts. Not in a church, anyway.

"Shinji, will you wait here for a moment, please?"

"Sure, … why?"

"I need to change out of these wet clothes. I would prefer it if you remained here while I am gone."

"Oh…sure." She turned a corner into a narrow hallway, and disappeared. Shinji listened to her footsteps on the wooden floor, then heard them stop, followed by the sound of a heavy door opening, closing, and, after a second, locking. Shinji sat against the wall, thinking.

'Geez, that was smooth, Shinji. She probably caught you staring at her. She shouldn't blame me, though; she should have known that a shirt like that would do that in the rain. Still, I guess it's not all lost. I can still pull this off, get her to feel differently about me. I just have to be polite, compliment her some, and _stop these perverted thoughts_.'

"Sh-Shinji?"

"Yes? Wha…" Shinji looked in bewilderment; Rei stood there in the mouth of the narrow hallway, cradling her arms uneasily, in full nun's dress. Shinji recoiled as he stood up, trying to suppress any unclean thoughts in his mind. "Rei… You're…You're"

"This is what I am required to wear, is there something wrong?"

"You're a nun? You didn't tell me?"

"When I spoke with you this morning, I was not. I am now fully devoted to serving this church however possible." Shinji was crushed, though he tried not to let it show. The girl he had been after for so long was now off limits, and about as off limits as one could be! 'Still,' he thought to himself, 'At least I can still listen to her play the organ.'

"Rei?"

"Yes?"

"Let's have at that organ, alright?"

"Yes."

Rei led Shinji through the double doors into the church proper, and Shinji was awestruck. The cavernous room was quite aglow, illuminated by hundreds of candles. The polished marble floor and golden details parried the light in every direction, seemingly setting the whole space slowly ablaze as Rei proceeded down the center aisle.

"Wait where you are, Shinji." She approached the altar, genuflected, then climbed the three steps up to the sanctuary. She walked behind the altar, and closed the doors of an ornate, shimmering golden structure.

"What's that, Rei?"

"This is the Tabernacle. It holds leftover consecrated hosts to be reused the next mass. It was left open for some reason."

"Is that bad?"

"It is rather disrespectful, and a bad omen."

"Oh…" She locked the Tabernacle with a large key, then walked down from the sanctuary, genuflected again, and proceeded over to the organ.

"You may follow me now."

"Alright."

Over at the organ, Rei turned to Shinji, who was still marveling at the scene around them. As he finished looking around, his eyes fell once again to Rei, who stood there expectantly, waiting for him to settle down.

"Please sit down at the organ, Shinji."

"Huh? Oh, right." He sat down on the bench, and Rei stood over him.

"Now, there are two keyboards, a pedal board, and various knobs."

"I see them, yes."

"Pull out the knobs marked 'trumpet,' 'oboe,' and 'clarinet.'"

"… … Ok, done. What are those?"

"Stops. They give the organ a certain tone. Now, play a chord on the lower keyboard."

Shinji positioned his fingers, and pressed down for a split second, but recoiled when the organ pipes behind him cried out.

"Ah! Sorry, Rei, I didn't expect it to be so loud."

"It is an instrument, Shinji. It will make noise, as that is its function."

"Oh. Hey, Rei?"

"Yes?"

"How can you be a nun and pilot Eva at the same time?"

"I will no longer pilot Unit 00. This is more important to me."

"My father…let you go just like that?"

"Yes. He said I would be easily replaced…"

"That's so insensitive of him."

"Yes, but I would rather serve humanity from here than on a battlefield."

"Right. So, Rei, I've been wondering…"

"About what?"

"That statue over there…who is it?" He pointed to an impressive marble statue under a pair of stained-glass windows; the statue was of a young man, presumably an angel, with large spread wings and a plate mail breastplate, standing atop a fallen demon and holding a sword.

"That statue is an effigy of St. Michael, the Archangel."

"Wow… But why does he have the sword?"

"St. Michael is the patron Saint of Exorcists, and is usually depicted as slaying demons."

"Oh. So, about the organ?"

"Yes. Now try to play that chord again."

Shinji did so, and relished in the way the sound completely filled the room. They continued the lesson for a few minutes until a heavy rumbling sound cut through the open space above them. A heavy wind began to blow around the room, and the candles flickered out. Rei and Shinji looked around as the tall arch-topped stained-glass windows let in a deep purple glow, and held each other as one window crashed open.

An illuminated figure floated into the church as the shining shards of stained glass seemed to hang in the air. The thin, male figure glowed a pale purple all over, except for one anomaly: the form held a black, curved blade in its right hand. It touched down atop the altar, and spread a pair of jet black wings. Rei took cover behind Shinji, who tried his best to not quail in fear.

The figure jumped down from the altar, and, floating a few inches above the ground, approached Shinji and Rei. It spoke in an odd voice; an effeminate male voice undercut by a lower female voice speaking the same words.

"Hello, Shinji."

"Who…"

"Nagisa Kaworu. I'm here for Adam, and I think you can show me where He is."

"I…Who's Adam?"

"Don't play dumb, Shinji. Surely you know why the angels are coming to Earth."

"No…"

"If you won't tell me, then…" He floated forward, and grabbed Shinji by his collar. Their eyes met up close for the first time, and Shinji could see the evil aura pouring out of Kaworu's eyes, like gaseous tears.

"Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you!"

"I know." He threw Shinji across the room, into the statue of St. Michael, causing the arms to fracture and drop to the ground in pieces. Once he saw that Shinji had been knocked out, he turned to Rei.

"Maybe you can tell me what I need to know." Rei averted her eyes, and spoke barely above a whisper.

"I don't know anything about what that child does; I'm just here to teach him-" Kaworu pressed the flat of his blade to Rei's throat.

"I know for a fact that you worked with that child as an Evangelion pilot. Why don't you stop lying?"

"I have heard people speak of Adam, but I do not know where he is." An evil lust came into Kaworu's eyes.

"I don't believe you, _sister!"_

_Shinji finally came back to consciousness, and saw a disturbing sight: Kaworu had taken to the air above the organ pipes, with Rei locked in his free arm. He floated there, and tore off the head covering Rei wore; tears came to her eyes as Kaworu threatened to continue._

_Shinji looked around, and saw the shattered remnants of St. Michael's arms around his body. Under the rubble, Shinji saw something gleaming in the purple glow; he cleared away the heavy marble shards until it was wholly uncovered. It was St. Michael's sword, cast in steel to add realism to the statue. Shinji knew what he had to do. He took up the sword, and ran over to the organ pipes. Kaworu, distracted, did not seem to take notice. Going back out into the vestibule, Shinji found a small hatch that led to a crawlspace for servicing the organ pipes. He crawled through and up, emerging behind the pipes. He edged around the side, and saw his target. Kaworu had his back turned; it was the perfect chance._

_After a second to steel himself, Shinji leapt into the air, grabbing Kaworu and bringing him down to the ground. The three of them fell to the ground with a thud, and Shinji tore Rei away from the pile. Standing with his foot on Kaworu's throat, Shinji held the sword high, pausing to look into the face of his opponent. Kaworu's face was at peace, seemingly knocked out by the impact. For a moment, Shinji hesitated, wondering if the unconscious being before him was really evil. In that moment, Rei sat up, and looked at Shinji, reminded of the statue of St. Michael._

"_Odd."_

_Shinji finally worked up the courage, and stabbed the sword into Kaworu's chest. Kaworu's eyes opened, and his face was once again overtaken by a sinister expression. He gripped the blade of the sword with both hands, and pulled it out in one quick motion. He then threw the sword, and Shinji with it, across the room, once again crashing against the statue of St. Michael. Standing, he turned back to Rei, who sat on the floor, cowering._

"_Now, where was I?" _

_He took Rei by the shoulders, and slammed her into the ground; she struggled, but it proved futile. Kaworu reached into Rei's garment, and found his target: a small flask attached by a thin chain to the hip of her clothes. He ripped it from her clothing, and opened it, taking a deep sniff of the liquid inside._

"_Holy Water, yes?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_Then take some!" He opened Rei's mouth, and poured the water into her mouth. Rei refused to swallow it, and coughed most of it back up. As she laid there coughing, Kaworu merely stayed crouched, straddling her, watching her struggle._

"_What's the matter?"_

"_It's cough not right to cough to drink Holy Water!"_

"_That's right, but you haven't got much choice, do you? Drink or drown!" He emptied the rest of the flask into her mouth._

_Across the church, Shinji watched this, conscious but unable to move. Struggle as he might, he was unable to assist Rei. He watched as Rei continued to struggle, half drowning in the water she refused to drink. After a few minutes, her entire body went limp, and Shinji was sure she had finally given in. Kaworu leaned in close, trying to determine if he had indeed killed her. When his face was very close, Rei suddenly reached up with both arms, and wrapped them about Kaworu's neck. She brought him in closer, and locked her lips around his. Kaworu's expression changed, surprise replaced by pain. He squinted, his face tightened, and tried to pull away. Finally, Rei released her kiss, and Kaworu fell to the ground, wheezing and coughing. His black wings began to smoke and shrivel; on the ground nearby, his sword burst into flame, a low blue ardor that ate away at the blade._

"_Wh…What did you do…?"_

"_I gave you the Holy Water you forced on me. The evil within you is being exorcised."_

_His wings disintegrated into nonexistence, and his sword burned away into black ash, which was blown away as the evil aura in his eyes dissipated. He lay there, once again looking rather innocent, as Rei stood and walked over to Shinji. She found him to be only lightly injured, and took St. Michael's sword from him._

_Walking back to Kaworu with the sword in hand, Kaworu gently opened his eyes, and looked up; his eyes were now fearful, no evil seemed to remain._

"_Will you kill me now?" Rei raised the sword on high, and stabbed down. It pierced the marble floor next to Kaworu's face, and Rei knelt, holding the hilt in clasped hands._

"_No. I cannot."_

"_But… I…"_

"_You are an Angel, yes?"_

"…_yes."_

"_I cannot kill a servant of God. Return to your master."_

"_I will. Goodbye for now, Rei." He took to the air slowly, and floated back to the window through which he had entered. As he was about to depart, Rei called out to him, as loudly as she could._

"_Wait!"_

"_Yes?"_

"_What would God have us do? Do you have guidance from Him?"_

_He looked up for a moment, then back to Rei._

"_He would have you go forth to spread His message throughout the Earth, to Evangelize."_


End file.
